The present disclosure relates generally to building management systems. The present disclosure relates more particularly to systems and methods for extending a wireless mesh network of multiple wireless BMS devices to allow for wireless communication from various BMS monitoring devices to one or more BMS controllers.
A building management system (BMS) is, in general, a system of devices configured to control, monitor, and manage equipment in or around a building or building area. A BMS can include a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, a security system, a lighting system, a fire alerting system, another system that is capable of managing building functions or devices, or any combination thereof. BMS devices may be installed in any environment (e.g., an indoor area or an outdoor area) and the environment may include any number of buildings, spaces, zones, rooms, or areas. A BMS may include a variety of devices (e.g., HVAC devices, controllers, chillers, fans, sensors, etc.) configured to facilitate monitoring and controlling the building space. Throughout this disclosure, such devices are referred to as BMS devices or building equipment.
HVAC network control applications have moved beyond the arena of comfort to optimization. The value that optimization brings to customers provides additional efficiency in the customer's mechanical systems, which is expected to yield energy savings. One of the barriers to HVAC upgrades by a customer may be the upfront capital requirements having long lead time for the return on investment. This can lead to deferral of upgrades until mechanical equipment failure occurs. However, new software development techniques can enable optimization with lower upfront costs, by eliminating hardware complexity and relying upon a network of simple devices to accomplish the same level of optimization as more complex hardware devices.